Motion Control – Rad or Fad?

Sony’s upcoming motion controller is all the rage at this year’s Tokyo Game Show. Supported games have been announced, demos have been show, and the general concept has been well received.

But is motion control the wave of the future for video games or is it simply a fad that will eventually fade away?
Sony’s nameless motion controller (why not suggest your own), due out in spring 2010, comes equipped with high-precision, highly accurate motion sensors; a three-axes gyroscope and a three-axes accelerometer to be exact. Any movement with the controller is registered with the PlayStation Eye with true 1:1 tracking and true 3D pointing via Bluetooth 2.0 technology.

Equipped with a sphere on the top, the motion controller can give visual feedback by changing color or having different illuminating patterns. In addition, physical feedback will be given through vibration, much like the Dual Shock 3.

From all the videos we’ve seen and articles we’ve read, this looks like the real deal. The accuracy of both the PS Eye and controller together looks to provide one extremely immersive gaming experience. Like any new technology, it’s the software that’ll make or break it.

Good thing for Sony since developers and publishers are already supporting the motion controller. Two highly acclaimed games, LittleBigPlanet and Resident Evil 5, will be getting the motion control make-over, and from what was demoed during Sony’s press conference, it’s looking fantastic.

In addition, multiple titles have been announced that will feature the motion controller in one way or another. They are as follows:

Ape Escape (Working Title)

Echochrome 2 (Working Title)

Eccentric Slider (Working Title)

Sing and Draw (Working Title)

Champions of Time (Working Title)

Motion Party (Working Title)

The Shoot (Working Title)

Tower (Working Title)

PAIN(*)

Flower(*)

Hustle Kings(*)

High Velocity Bowling(*)

EyePet(*)

*motion control function added through network update, etc.

It’s no doubt that Sony has a lot riding on its motion controller. Will these titles push the boundaries of what we’ve been able to do in video games or will they be generic games that implement the function? We can only hope for the former.

Up until now, the PS Eye has been in the shadow of the PS3. Since its release in 2007, there has been little support for the peripheral, with games not using it to its full potential. Most games use it to simply take an upload either photos or videos. It’s nothing special for a device touting advanced facial recognition and head tracking. Could this be a foresight to the future of the motion controller as well?

The initial reaction we imagine will be decent, but if we see the same type of games doing the same type of things and not bringing anything new to the experience, then it could fade out rather quickly. We’ve seen the motion controller do some pretty amazing things so hopefully this won’t be the case.

As they say in the video, the controller is capable of many things and they expect the game developers to come up with crazy games that use these features. The ball is now in their courts and it’s up to them to utilize it.